Father and Daughter

If you take enough pictures, once in a while you will get a great one...and this proves it. I love this picture I took of Greg and Ashley while they were at the zoo.

He certainly has been 'burning the candle at both ends' lately. His play is about to open at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee on the 21 of August, I believe. I will check that out and make sure I have that info here soon.

Since I can't think tonight, I'll throw in an extra layout. More pictures taken at the zoo.

Five GuysHere in Town

This is not going to be good for my already enlarged figure. Five Guys opened a place within 20 minutes of us. All of us girls are loving it and hating it at the same time. Four of us met there recently to feast on fries and burgers. Teresa was late due to her busy day, so she is not in this picture. By the time she got there, we had dived into the grub and no longer cared about pictures or anything else, for that matter. My friends warned me...they serve way too many fries. So share. But I was so starved for these scrumptious fries that I ate my whole order. Of course now, I'm wearing them.

I guess I'm one of those greedy Americans so many are talking about. One might call me greedy, but I don't want to see my fellow man hungry. I want to see jobs plentiful again so that all can work and make a living and not have to depend on handouts from the government or anyone else. Naturally as the Bible says, the poor will always be with us and each of us is called by God to reach out in love as He has loved and prospered us to supply the needs of those we know or see every day...not so much those on the street corners holding signs and wearing Nikes, but in our neighborhoods, families and churches.

And as for the rich...they are the ones who make jobs available for the rest of us who need to work. Did you ever get a job from a poor man? Do you know any 'rich' man you would like to see fail? When they do, many lose their jobs...unless of course they are rich because of starring in movies out in Hollywood. We could probably do without lots of them, or at least pay them a lot less. But then, who is to say how much a man's talent is worth. I wouldn't want to be the one to tell Barbara Striesand that her voice isn't worth that much. I do love to hear her sing and I've even laid out money to buy her records...in the past.

Let's all try to start looking more inward and improving ourselves and quit looking at whom we can bring down. It'll make a much better world.

Layout Competition

I've been doing so many layouts lately that it is sometimes difficult for me to decide which one to use in this blog. I could load more than one a night, but choose not to overload. I might just bore you all to death and then I'd have no friends, no audience.

It's not like I have a truly valuable skill and I'm not really working, so to feel good about what I'm doing, I need to imagine someone is enjoying it.

This layout turned out better than I had hoped. I like the way the larger picture now looks like a weathered painting. I like remembering the fun the kids and grampa had that day...and their dad as well. I like thinking about how much Ashley is like her mother and me... no worms for her.

It's always good to get away from the stress and worries of this world and thrive on little daily joys.

Speaking of stress and worry. We need to keep our eyes open and talk to others as well. We don't dare 'fall asleep at the wheel'. You know we as citizens are represented by those in Congress...and if they are not doing their jobs correctly, which are to represent our wishes, we need to oust them. November is coming.

I read a quote from Thomas Jefferson today that is so meaningful to us right now with Arizona being slapped around by the feds.

"[T}he States can best govern our home concerns and the general government our foreign ones. I wish, therefore...never to see all offices transferred to Washington, where, further withdrawn from the eyes of the people, they may more secretly be bought and sold at market." Thomas Jefferson, letter to Judge William Johnson, 1823

Dress Alike

Thanks to Mommy and the sewing machine, Ashley and her doll, Sarah, often dress alike. Chelle's grandmother was a wonderful seamstress and sewed lots of Chelle's clothes when she was young. She also made the girls clothing for their Barbie dolls. They were able to dress them extremely well in furs and all kinds of beautiful fabrics.

Unlike my mother, I can not sew a stitch on a machine. I had to alter my things by hand for years until someone came up with the wonderful idea of petite sizing. I just couldn't master a machine. I may have told you sewing machines hate me.

Any way, we didn't teach Chelle to sew. However, when she had a little girl, she felt the desire to make her some things. She just sat down with a machine and did it...no patterns or anything. She cut them out by guessing and sewed them together. Some were not perfect, but they worked and she has just kept improving. She enjoys making things for the kids and they appreciate their originality and suggest other things for her to make. They even ask for home made items for Christmas.

What happened to me? The sewing gene just skipped me altogether. My claim to fame has to be my art... oils, color pencil and (I'll call this art) my digital scrapbooks. I'll let Chelle do the hard part, making these dresses and I'll capture them on paper.

It is cool to see these two dressed alike. I have always enjoyed seeing mothers and daughters in similar clothing. I even like to see wives and husbands who wear matching outfits.

But what I don't like to see is a politician 'dressed like a man of and for the people' and acting like he despises everything they stand for by ignoring their laws and slapping them down day by day.

Arizona as a state has rights that are being denied them by an over powerful, lopsided government devoid of checks and balances. The main responsibility of the federal government is to protect us. They have fallen down on that job, spending our money instead to take over private enterprise, etc. Now they are not only failing to do what they should be doing, they are prohibiting Arizona from enforcing emigration laws to protect itself from foreign encroachment.

"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite." James Madison, Federalist No 45

Please pray we will be able to return to the pattern of government that made us strong and to a country where people from all over the world came to be free and to prosper.

The Triplets Turn Eight

They can't be 8 already. Can they? Let's see. 2002 from 2010...why yes they can be and they are!

Happy Birthday to my favorite triplets in the whole wide world. Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Aussie, Ashley and Mason, Happy Birthday to you.

Bluebird Farm

On our trip to Carroll County, we stopped at the Bluebird Farm for lunch. This brought back good memories, for Ron and I used to fly our little Cardinal down there, land at a nearby airport and walk a path through the woods for lunch at Bluebird Farm. Out last trip down was in the summer of 2001 before we sold the plane in September. It looks much like it did then.

Thought I'd show you this before I go into a narrative about my day today.

Relax and know that my day is not terribly bad. You might just want to laugh at me a little.

My bad day is the result of a multitude of errors. Ron’s and mine. Nothing tragic, but not really good either.

I got up earlier than usual happy to have a day free to catch up on some chores around as well as do my usual Monday cleaning and washing.

I had stripped the bed and had a load of things in both the washer and dryer.
I grabbed a stack of newspapers and (yes, I do recycle them) bent over to put them in a grocery bag. That’s it, just bent over and messed up my back. It wasn’t really bad, so I continued working. But it was soon that I realized my driver’s license is missing. (The one with the good picture of me that I had just gotten last month after carrying a hideous picture on my last one for four years.) The last time I had it was when I stopped at the bank to cash a check on the way to Sali’s to get my haircut on Wednesday. I remember taking it out of the bank envelope when it was delivered down the shoot outside the bank. I thought I put it in a pocket so I could quickly move on to let someone else drive up to the window.

I checked pockets in every pair on pants I have, then realized I had gone from Curves and had on workout pants…no pockets. I thoroughly searched my purse (the one made of jeans with four pockets) and another purse, just is case. Tore apart my car. No luck.

Ron came home in a tizzy. The deposit he thought he had taken to the bank was in his car and his tax check had bounced, not once, but twice. He was hoping he could straighten that out, but since it had taken some time for him to find out it had bounced, he will have to pay a 5% penalty in addition to bounced check fees! If he were one day later discovering this oversight, it would have been 10%. At least we can be thankful it didn’t go that long.

Then I had to go to Curves, even though I really wanted to get out and pull some weeds today. I thought that would make my back better. NOPE. I very carefully got on and off the machines. I finished my routine, skipping a couple of the exercises. I had been very cautious, but noticed a twinge now and then.

On the way home, I needed to pick up a green pepper at the fruit stand; so I went in... without a cart…all I needed was a pepper. Of course I picked up a basket of peaches by the door, got the pepper, grabbed a bag of carrots and a package of big slicing tomatoes, stacking them all up in front of me. By the time I got through the checkout line, I was ready to scream in pain. But I didn’t. I managed to pay …took a buggy out with me and getting into the car, hurt my back. Finally I made it home.

When I went in the house, I was welcomed by a kitchen floor full of suds. Ron was out painting a rental. He had taken all the dirty dishes out and put Lime Away (I have no idea how much.) in the dishwasher to get rid of the white deposits on my glassware. (I’ve probably told you that my dishwasher doesn’t really work anyway. I have to wash them before I run the dishwasher. It has been like that since we moved here. I just run it to be sure things are sterilized because Ron looked at it once and didn't think there was anything wrong with it.)

I don’t know if the Lime Away was a stupid idea or if it was because I had detergent in it ready to wash the dishes when I got home.

I got lots of towels and sopped up all the water on the floor and inside the washer. It didn’t feel good, but it had to be done. I carried the heavy wet towels to the laundry room and completely threw out my back.

When I made it to the phone, I called the chiropractor , but he couldn’t take me until Wednesday afternoon!

God is good. While I was typing this, the doctor called to say his 5:00 just canceled.

Please pray my driver’s license shows up somewhere…and not in the hands of someone who uses it illegally. It’s been since Wednesday and it doesn’t look promising.

I'll remember as I lay down to sleep, "new every morning, great is your (God's) faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:23) and in down to earth terms...the sun comes out tomorrow.

Life in Paradise

I seek to not be so overwhelmed that I give up the 'fight'. That is just what the progressives are wanting. I certainly don't want to pull the covers over my head and ignore all the signs, but I do need a little pure joy now and then.

Sitting here in this chair and looking through my window into the glories of God's creation makes me very much 'at peace'. It is wonderful to watch the Finches, Cardinals and other birds searching for food. I've made it easy for them out there. They share well. Of course, larger birds sometimes move in for a while and go to the front of the 'line'. It seems to me that they bully the others and grab more than their share, but the others eat whatever falls to the ground. They all get their fill. It is fun watching a squirrel attempt to climb the pole to the bird feeder which is just not sturdy enough to hold him. But he too seems to get a treat dropped by the birds into the foliage nearby. Little chipmunks get a few bites as well. I wonder if they consider this their little Garden of Eden. There is, however, something for which they have to be alert... my cat, also God's creation, but a predator nonetheless. So while they are busy scurrying or flitting around their little haven, they must keep alert, just as we do.

Enjoy what God has given you, but don't forget to watch for those who would take it away. You should be wiling to move over to let someone less fortunate pick up bits. You will want to share. You may even give up something dear to you if it is needed by another. But you don't want to lose your freedom to worship your God in heaven. And you don't want to lose your very lives. And that, my friend's is the struggle that is well on it's way to your paradise.

The Last Resort

ORU retreated to a cottage deep in the woods for a while to catch up with business and to pray.

While there, we decided that what that lovely fireplace needed was a little embellishment, ORU style.

With a little luck, we were able to decorate it like a dream. What a wonderful way to remember the place...and I doubt it forgets us!

New Sun Glasses

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I thought that light sensitivity was more likely in light blue and green eyes, but Mason has especially sensitive eyes and his are dark brown as opposed to the blue eyes of the other two.

The triplets are pretty much like their Gramma, in that they scratch or lose their sunglasses. For this reason, we deemed it important to get some new shades this day before spending a lot of time in the bright sun.

I love Ashely's and Mason's bright smiles and Aussie's grin. They warm my heart like sunshine.

Gramma's Little Flower

Now this is what I mean. This is my little model...and oh how joyful it makes me to see that smile.

You Don't Want Your Picture Taken

Look at the beautiful smiles on the faces of Chelle and Greg, Ashley and Mason. We know they are enjoying being together on the water.

Aussie is at it again, hiding from the camera...or almost hiding. He's like the ostrich with it's head in the sand. He doesn't see the camera, but it sees him just fine.

At the bottom, Mason gladly hides Aussie from my lens. I'm sure that was comfortable, Buddy.

As you can see, I don't have a lot of sympathy for him. Years ago one of our six was 'camera shy'. I was always frustrated when he would turn away when I wanted a shot. But now I know how very much we would like to have photos of him as a child. He would like them as well.

That is why I'm more persistent and 'sneaky' with Aussie, catching him off guard at play when I can.

We are hardest on ourselves. I know that is true. When I look at myself in the mirror, I see all the defects...and there are LOTS of them. My looks are no secret I can hide, beyond a little make up and the right clothes. But when I look at others, it is as if it is with different eyes.

My suggestion to those who really don't enjoy having your picture taken, humble yourselves, relax and make your friends and family happy. People love you just as you are. You are beautiful to all those who love you. We look past your imperfections and into your heart. And we want to remember you.

Please see to it that your children and their children will know what you looked like at this age, whatever that is.

Sunset

We took a few friends out for a relaxing ride around the lakes. What better thing is there to do on a nice evening?

I love the length of daylight in summer. Of course, after June, the days start getting shorter by a couple minutes each day. I wish I could see daybreak; but it isn't in me to get up that early any more. I did all my life, but now I'm retired...no kids to see off to school, not even any pets to rouse me. My cat is much like me. She'll stay in bed until I go down and get her. Seldom does she even make a sound before I get there, no matter what time that is.

And of course, I'm babbling again. We took a boat ride. Linda and Al, Virginia and Jim, Hugh and Kay seemed to enjoy it as much as we do.

What a difference a few minutes make. If the sun moved as quickly all day long as it seems to when it starts to fall, our days would be no more than a couple hours long.

Sometimes, It's a Zoo

One of the things we did while the triplets were here was to go to the city zoo. There is a much larger one in Cleveland that we hope for them to see some day; but for now, they still enjoy the one here.

When at home in Tennessee, they use their zoo pass regularly. But we still saw some animals they had not seen before.

And of course they liked the activities, one of which was climbing walls. Their mom told me after they went home on a particularly hot day, "It's a zoo in here. They are 'climbing the walls'." It was nice that they had those lessons while here in town. I hope to teach them something more practical the next time they are in the north.

PIllar of Fire

Last night, I presented the beautiful billowy white clouds we had seen on Saturday afternoon over the lakes. Later that evening those white clouds turned to what looked like fire. The colors in these pictures have not been photoshopped. They are accurate.

I used to envision the pillar of fire from the Bible as literal fire. Now, I'm wondering if it may have been more like these. We are told in the Old Testament, that God led his people through the wilderness using a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night.

Clouds

Wild Life

Have been busy all day today and really didn't have time to blog, but I'll just treat you to a secret...my hubby likes to party. Yep. But he is a Christian and an aging man and his idea of partying is to have a picnic at our house and invite friends in and take a boat ride. It is a lot of fun. But I wouldn't do it so often if it were up to me. I need that extra push. Yet I always enjoy it and am glad we did it. Tonight was one of those nights and even though the ride started out warmer than I like, a nice breeze came up and made it pleasant. As it neared sunset, the sky was even more magnificently beautiful than usual with clouds towering up for what seemed miles. Clouds that were bright white, turned pink, yellow and orange. That was wildly beautiful. I'll have pictures for you soon.

I've come to realize that I love 'the wild' . I appreciate it more every day. The type of wild life I enjoy is the kind that God created, like frogs and ducks.

Dr. Alveda King

One of the things the triplets love to do when they are here is go to Boettler Park. In case you are interested, Boettler is the German name of a local family and all the natives here pronounce it the way the family does, with the short e vowel sound. But most transplants pronounce it Bottler. It really looks like it should sound like bottle, so I feel funny saying to correctly, but as my husband says, I'm a stickler for rules.

Perhaps that is why I'm going out of my mind, figuratively I hope. Our government is no longer playing by the rules. Our Constitution was laid down a long time ago and our country has done well under it. But now, due to conflict with those who don't like us ( is it jealousy?) and want us to no longer be a powerful influence in the world, they are tearing us down, brick by brick from the inside. They've dissolved our borders and legislate against those who would enforce the law.

Oh, but we have people rising up to the challenge. We are moving back to our roots as a Christian nation and are coming out strong. While the Obama administration makes fun of us, the people, we know he is frightened by our power. Otherwise, he would ignore us. He wouldn't feel threatened. And by that I don't mean him personally, but his type of governance.

If you remember, on Wednesday I told you the NAACP had denounced the Tea Party as racists. Oh my are they oh so wrong. This evening at dinner time we watched the Glenn Beck Show on Fox News. Poor fellow is as fair as they come and blond with blue eyes. Does that make a difference in his soul? Absolutely not!!! Sitting beside him were two prominent black ministers, one male and the other female. They were very learned. Glenn and they discussed the problem with the theory of collective salvation. Heretofore I hadn't heard much about that. I learned for sure with Biblical proof tonight that it is malarky. It is leading many down the road to sure destruction, if you want my opinion. Salvation necessitates a personal relationship with the savior, Christ Jesus.

One thing I failed to tell you, the lady minister, Dr. Alveda King, has her doctorate and is the niece of Martin Luther King. Now that is impressive. It seems many are seeing the danger in the present administration's contempt for Christianity as much as his politics. They are becoming willing to stand against the Democratic machine and think for themselves. Praise God for our black brothers and sisters who may yet be the ones to save this nation from 'this present darkness' in which we find ourselves .

I really haven't done justice to the inspiration these ministers were for me. You must check out Glenn Beck's site and see for yourself how enlightened these guests are. www.glennbeck.com.

Back in Time

I've gone back in time exactly one month. It was June, 15 when these pictures were taken. A lot has happened since then. Little Caleb has grown and gotten cuter. The triplets have been here and gone back home. We have been busy, busy, busy and Congress just put us back a few decades with the Financial Overhaul Bill they passed today. When will they learn that WE DON'T WANT a Socialist government monitoring everything we do? It will take an honest election, and I'm fearing the way they are going, they may take that away as well.

If ANYTHING happens to prevent a free election in November, we WILL KNOW that it was planned that way. It didn't just happen. No matter what may stop our free voice at the polls, short of simultaneous earth quakes across the USA, we will suspect the progressives planned it that way. For example if we are hit by a bomb, we can blame it on the ultra liberals in office who are afraid of the people's vote.

I guess it is too late now that it has passed, but check online this terribly intrusive Financial Overhaul Bill. Bits and pieces have been included here and there that further inhibit our freedom. Look at Article 14, for example. It will take us a long time to recover from the damage done to this country by Marx lovers.

By the way, it is predominately Democrats who passed it. However three Republicans, Rhinos (Republican in name only), went along with it. Remember at the polls. Don't go by the party name. Investigate the individual, not what he or she says, but his or her history.

And meanwhile, trust in God and keep smiling.

Pretense

With Photoshop we can make believe. See the triplets walking into the home of the Three Bears where Goldilocks sits at the table eating all baby bear's porridge.

Sometimes things get so tough that I'd just like to be a kid again and pretend. I would like to make believe our country is as good as it was three years ago. I would like to pretend to feel safe and secure in the ever increasingly suffocating grasp of our government. I would like to pretend nothing is wrong or that tomorrow I'll wake up and it will all be over and things will be back to normal. I would like to do that, but would it help? NO Things only get worse when we hide our heads, avoid the news, pretend.

I have friends who are going to Washington to join Glenn Beck on August 27th. I should be going. I feel guilty that I'm not. When that crowd of people arrive there, I'll have been praying for them. I'll have been praying safety for them and Glenn's entourage. As much as I'd like to pretend, just turn my head and say everything will be fine, I can't do that. Because of the threats from some very prejudiced people, I'll pray the whole weekend.

By the way, have you heard the NAACP has declared that the Tea Party is racist? Don't believe it. There are members and speakers of every race. No one is left out. All Americans who strive for returning to the Constitution are welcome with open arms.

You will hear the NAACP charge over and over. (While not hearing anything on TV or seeing in the newspapers about the Black Panther threats.) The progressives pretend that if they say things enough times, everyone will believe them. They are wrong. We have awakened and we are on to their tricks.

If you can't make it to DC in August, PRAY.

Smart Car

As I was driving along today, I spotted a smart car. Now, I wouldn't have known a tiny little car like that could be smart. But I understand it implies that the driver is smart for buying this boxy little thing.

My husband drives a Prius which gets similar gas mileage, but is much bigger and is deceivingly very roomy inside. He doesn't pretend to be smart...just conservative. However, it is smart to be conservative. It is smart to save gas, to save money on gas, to save money anywhere one can.

Likewise, it is smart for governments to save money whenever they can. It boosts the economy when less money is going for services or into the salaries of politicians and more stays in the pockets of citizens who can then spend it as they see fit. Of course government these days believes that you and I are not smart enough to spend our own money wisely. They want to spend it for us. Some call it 'cradle to grave'. They take away your freedoms and monitor your life from the time you are born until they lower you into the ground. Sad that so many people will give in to that. They find out too late that they are slaves of the state.

One of the latest 'works' of our beloved president's wife is to make sure we don't eat too much. She recently said that having dessert is not a right. Well I'm here to tell you, you and I have the right to eat dessert if we want it, given we don't steal it from someone else.

Oh and by the way, the United Nations has told us we need to give up our air conditioning. I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to do that as long as I can afford it...and I would give up plenty of other things to make sure I have cool air...things like acrylic nails, extra cell phone minutes, fancy clothes, hairdos, movies. I could go on and on. We have the right to decide just how we want to spend our own money. Hold on to that right. Vote Conservative in November.

Do you think if I were to put a sign on my back that says, SMART, people would believe I am?

Yummy Peaches

When I was a girl, we picked peaches off our tree and ate them right away. That is the way to really enjoy peaches...or any kind of fruit. Today, fruit is picked way too early. When it gets to the store, peaches, melons, plums, etc. are hard and sour. I suppose it you never knew better, you might think they are good...but they ARE NOT. In my opinion, they are not fit to eat. Since I don't live within 5 miles of a peach orchard, I have starved for a bite of a juicy peach. That is, until 2008 when I discovered that Sam's had wonderful peaches. Some times, they could be sweeter, but most of the time they are truly luscious. I think the secret is in picking them at the right time and protecting their travel with compartmentalized cases.

Sam's does things right. Our country would be better off if we were to let Sam's/WalMart run everything. At least until we could get back on our feet after being driven into the ground by the present administration.

Have you been following the story about the Black Panthers who disrupted things by threatening people at the polling booth during the last presidential election? They have not been arrested or anything. They haven't even had their hands slapped. The Black Panthers are getting away with downright bigoted behavior right now while everyone in the media is chastising Mel Gibson for his prejudicial remarks. I certainly will not stand up for him. That was an ugly hateful thing to say. Yet, I can not understand why the Black Panthers are being protected while they actually pore out threats with vile hatred of those who are a different color from them.

What makes anyone think people are different inside because their skin is different? It is absurd. If that were the case I being covered with freckles, wouldn't fit in with anyone, except a few Irishmen.

I pray that the progress that Martin Luther King made years ago will not be lost to us because some blame others for their own mistakes and continually blast hateful names and curses at people because of something no one can help, and that is the color of their skin. If I could help it, I certainly would not have chosen to be freckled.

If you have not heard much about the Black Panthers lately (That is possible if you read only newspapers and watch ABC, NBC, CBS of MSNBC.) Check out the Fox News Channel whose motto is "We report, you decide," to hear both or all sides to any news. You own it to yourself and your country to be informed. This mess won't go away by sticking our heads in the sand and pretending everything will be all right.

Patience is a Virtue

At the top, Chelle leans against the footbridge over the Tuscarawas River in Firestone Metro Park.

Up the river is a heron standing oh so very still, patiently waiting for a fish to swim by him.

The heron is patient, but our grandchildren are not always. They are being raised in a world where things, like TVs, computer games and organized activities, keep them entertained all the time. I can remember as a child sitting in a tree for long periods of time, all alone and just thinking about things. But most children don't have the chance to do that type of thing today. And if they did, it would be BORING to them. So it is understandable when they try to sit on the dock and fish, it is not easy. They have fun as long as they are catching fish one after the other, but that doesn't always happen. When these pictures were taken, we had waited until it was too warm and the fish weren't biting well. The kids also had to contend with seaweed. Mason caught a bluegill, but Aussie and Ashley didn't and that wasn't very enjoyable.

I myself certainly have adapted and fit into this instant gratification society. I want things to work and I want them to work now. But while I am impatient with things, I generally am able to keep calm and be collected with people. I understand they are as I am, imperfect. I realize they have bad days that stress them, etc.

Oh that I could be patient today. Ironically, I have become upset because I can not find a verse in the Bible that says simply, Patience is a virtue. I was sure it was in there, but with all my searching, even on line, I don't find those exact words. I have finally decided that I'll have to go with verses that say it in other words.

For example: I Corinthians 13:4 says "Love is patient". Love is definitely a virtue and it is patient.

Maybe that is my biggest problem. I do not love my computer. Okay, no more excuses.

I've been called to be patient. Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control." I must assume that is with things as well as people. I have work to do on that.

Now for the big confession. I have not been patient today, period. I am asking God for forgiveness and I must also ask those with whom I have been rudely impatient to forgive me.

Tomorrow is another day, for the Bible tells us "²² Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. ²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

I know that I can start over and try harder and perhaps tomorrow, I will be a more patient lady.

Sisters in the Lord

We met each other at Lakeview Christian Church where we all attended a Bible Study on Thursday nights.

Rhonda and I are no longer there. But Janis, Jean, Charlene and Dorothy remain at Lakeview and are still attending that Bible study which is taking a break for the summer. We remain sisters in the Lord and it was a delight to meet them for dinner this Thursday evening. May God bless us, every one.

Playing Captain

You'll be seeing more of the triplets. My camera was almost always clicking away while they were here. I just don't get to see them enough, so I flip through their pictures frequently to remember how much fun I had with them.

The boys seem so serious about driving. Ashley, however, is smiling from ear to ear. It is gratifying to see them learn to turn the wheel ever so slightly to correct their course. Learning by doing is the best way. Listening to an instructor and or reading a book will help, but hands on is best.

I suppose that is the reason God set up the world as a place for us to learn to trust in him. At first his angels in heaven had the perfect home. But they didn't know it. They had nothing to compare it with, so they took it for granted and some, especially Lucifer, decided they wanted to do things differently. Lucifer craved being in command. He wanted to be the captain.

God threw those angels down from heaven so they could live the way they wanted to live and then he made himself a new creation...a world with a beautiful, perfect garden in which he put all types of animals and man, specifically Adam and Eve.

Satan became the antithesis of God. Instead of love, he was hate. He was angry he had been taken from heaven. He was and is determined to turn all of God's creation against him. He works at is steadily and with determination.

This earth, a place of good and bad, provides the atmosphere in which we must learn. After having lived a life influenced by sin, illness and death, we will be able to appreciate heaven with the heavenly father who loves us more than anyone else has ever loved us. We will have something with which to compare that love...and we will never be tempted to turn away to our own thinking, but trust that in God is the one place we would want to be forever and ever.

It is good to listen to others talk about God, but it is better to read for yourself from God's own word, the Bible. And better yet, is experiencing day to day what God will do for you if and when you are striving to do that which he commands, remembering at all times that all that he asks us to do is really for our own good and the good of others because God is love.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Gramma's Star

I'm taking you back to June 15 for this one. While Caleb was here, I saw to it that he was introduced to the piano. I was never successful at getting his dad interested in playing it, even though he did play a sax and later picked up a guitar and learned to make music on that. And he has a good singing voice.

Caleb seemed quite allured by it after he realized that it was responding to his touch. I could just hear the wheels turning in his little head. He played with his fingers and sometimes leaned in with his arms to play 'chords'. I'm stretching that word, you know.

I should know better. In a year or two, I may wish he had never found my piano. LOL Yet, who knows. He may be a prodigy and have gone from Mozart to composing his own solos in a year or so. If so, you can say you saw him the first time he sat at a piano.

A Cloudy Sunset

I love this picture we took toward the east during a sunset on a cloudy evening. It reminds me of what I see in the early morning on those rare occasions when I am up in time to enjoy the affect of dawn on the houses across the lake to the west of us.

In our last home, not much more than a mile from here, we saw the most glorious sunsets and the light of dawn across the lake to the west. I miss that open expanse of water with the sun streaming across. But we are blessed here as well. The scene just isn't quite as splendid.

We passed this area on our lake as we motored by on the way home from a nice pontoon ride with our daughter, Chelle, her husband Greg and the triplets. We had taken an elderly neighbor man as well and were able to learn much about his history here as the builder of many of the docks.

If you haven't been in the habit of double clicking on the layouts to enlarge them, try it on this one. It looks much better that way.

Not all sunsets are beautiful. Some are excessively dark and cloudy. I never ever thought that my sunset years could be clouded by so much hatred aimed at other people. I never thought that Robin Hood would become president. I never thought that when Khrushchev pounded his shoe on the table and said they would bury us that we would let that happen.

Our Water LIly

Ron hasn't seen all the water lilies at Southgate Park. I'm glad to let him be proud of his water lily that he ordered on the inter net. It is very pretty, or was. How long do they bloom? I need to find out because this one wasn't there very long.

I'm fine with just the lily pads though. They remind me of my friend's home in Watercolor, Florida, which she named the Lily Pad. And those rounded 'leaves' are very pretty on their own.

We've been here five years now and this area is starting to look the way I want it. It can be done much faster with a little professional help, but we enjoy the progress and the money we save.

Not sure why I'm so interested in saving now, while our president is so busy spending all we have and what we and our children and grandchildren will have for many years to come. Before long our dollar bills will be worth less that the paper on which they are printed.

My friends and I have too many children among us who are willing to work hard and well and are looking for jobs. All are college grads, some with their masters degrees. Not much out there. High taxes are killing all business. And in Washington, they are striving to pass the Cap and Trade Bill which will multiply the problems for everyone. If you are one of the 10 people out there who think we don't pay enough taxes, I'm sorry for you. You are quite welcome to pay as much as you want. Just leave the rest of us alone.

Here I am 'fiddling while Rome burns'. All I know to do is oust this administration as soon as possible, and pray we can repair the damage.

On the Dock

I remember last year hearing that a number of people were taking staycations, instead of vacationing. Well the triplets and family came over 500 miles to visit us and we ended up pretty much taking a staycation right here.

Instead of visiting Cedar Point, which we would have loved to do. (I feel the need to keep in the same league as their other grandparents who live in Florida and have been with them to Disney World. ) I love the park as well. But with the economy like it is, we opted to enjoy the public parks and go to the local zoo.

These pictures were taken at Firestone Metropolitan Park. We found a peaceful little pond with a dock marked Fishing, Kids under 15 only. We had planned to go back with fishing poles, but didn't find the time. Talking about time. It flies by much too fast when the kids are here. It will be much too long until they are able to return. I wish they lived closer...much closer.

Any way...TIME. I have at times wanted to make TIME stand still. Not at the present, however. I'm afraid of each approaching moment. What will be taken from us next? I am now one of the 'old timers' who talk about the 'good old days'. If we don't get the working and 'wish they were working' citizens out to vote this fall, ( Watch for preventative measures like Black Panthers at the polling booths.) the only thing that could save us is a miracle...like a time machine. Take me back to the past. I'd gladly hop on and move back to the 50's, for example. I don't want to be left sitting on the dock.

Eat Cake

The triplets were here and they won't be on their birthday, later this month. So I took the opportunity to treat them to our family tradition of Dairy Queen ice cream cake. In 2008 we celebrated early this way and added Christmas to the mix. The presents were under the tree when the triplets arrived for their summer visit.

This year, we were more conservative. We went to Build a Bear where Aussie and Ashley made 'bears' and outfitted them. Mason chose to get a computerized game at Sam's Club where we found it cost $10.00 less than we had seen it before. Good shopping Mason. You impress Gramma with your skill for finding a deal.

And we all ate cake. It was a joy celebrating with them, even if we had to rush it a bit. They will be 8 on July 27th.

My title today comes from the phrase "Let Them Eat Cake". This phrase "is widely attributed to Marie-Antoinette (1755-93), the Queen consort of Louis XVI. She is supposed to have said this when she was told that the French populace had no bread to eat."

I checked this out on google (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/let-them-eat-cake.html) and found that it is now being disputed as her quote.The article also questioned the reason behind it.

History is being rewritten as I sit here and you need to be aware of that. Of course there is no way that I could know at this time whether or not it was she who uttered these words or what her motivation may have been; but there are many things I do know from our American history that are being altered daily. Our textbooks reflect the opinions of those who would have us see this nation as anything but Christian. They are changing or omitting facts to suit their agendas. Watch for it and teach your children at home...they are not getting an adequate history in most of our public schools. I don't necessarily mean homeschooling, but we must take some time away from TV, computer and organized sports to make sure they do not remain ignorant. It is a shame to earn an honorific degree and still be unaware of truth!

Celebrate Liberty

We thoroughly enjoyed the fireworks over the lake again this year. We left the house earlier in the day to claim our place near the set off point. It made for several hours on the boat, but it was worth it. In the pictures are April, Chelle, top of Ashley's head, Greg and the boys, Aussie and Mason. Not pictured were Ron, our friend Phyllis and I.

We had a little problem when Ron dropped his glasses in the lake while setting the anchor. And more when that anchor was not sufficient to keep us stationary. A man in a boat near by was compassionate and offered to let us secure our pontoon to his. Then we were free to watch the sky for 30 minutes of fireworks.

God bless the USA and especially the truly good people who make up the backbone of our country.

Feeding the Swan

I'm not sure what it is, but I love to see the swans. Once I looked out in early December and saw 'seven swans a swimming'. I'll never forget that.

One of our neighbors fed the swans until he saw one kill a duck baby or something like that and he quit feeding them.

I have already confessed to you that I'm afraid of feathered creatures. But for some reason, swans don't frighten me. I guess it is because they are in the water and I am not. I am nice to them and they are so beautiful. I have heard all the tales. One of our neighbors was attacked, but I remain calm around them. I don't expect them to fly into my hair. So we live peacefully together here.

These big birds have not visited me much in the past, but yesterday evening when we returned from a boat ride, one was waiting by the dock. The kids ran to the house and got bread for them. This fellow in the layout ate all of it.

This afternoon, I saw him a few doors down. ( I am assuming it is a 'him' and that it is not another swan. ) I went after bread (homemade and healthy) but he was too far away by the time I got back to the shore and I couldn't get his attention. I'm hoping that he will make it a practice to visit frequently.

There needs to be a lot of distraction now for me to keep happy in this economy and with someone in the White House who calls the Statue of Liberty the 'Statue of Immigration'. Sorry, but it is not. Study for yourself and see if I'm right or wrong. I wouldn't say it if I didn't think I'm right. But if I'm wrong, let me know. I'm like Glenn Beck there. I just don't have a red phone on my desk that is left free for the president to call at any time like Glenn does. Glenn asks the White House to call any time he has make a mistake and to tell him where he is wrong.

Purple Martins on Portage Lakes

For those of you who may not be familiar with the Purple Martin, they are the largest of the North American swallows. The martins in the eastern states make homes near people. They like the human interaction. Here at the Portage Lakes there are many gourds and other homes that have been set up for the martins. In winter months when it is difficult for the birds to find food, the lakers feed them things like scrambled eggs and in exchange, the Martins eat lots and lots of flying insects during other months.